1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital image outputting device which receives image data and produces an image on a recording medium based on the image data. More particularly, the present invention relates to a digital image outputting device and an image data handling device and method thereof applicable to a device of multiple functions such as copier, facsimile and printer, wherein necessary capacity of image memory for storing input for image data temporarily is economized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional digital image outputting device, a memory unit to store input for image data until execution of printing processing is constructed as FIG. 7, in general. The memory unit consists of bus switching section 401, image memory 402, code processing section 403, and code memory 406. The code processing section 403 includes a compressor 404 and an expandor 405.
At the memory unit shown in FIG. 7, image data coming in from signal processing section (image reading section for a copier or external equipment such as a personal computer) is temporarily stored within the image memory 402 as original data by way of the bus switching section 401. If sufficient space area is available in the code memory 406, the compressor 404 for the code processing section 403 reads-out and compresses the data and then, stores the compressed data in the code memory 406. Soon after the printing processing section gets ready, the expandor 405 for the code processing section 403 reads-out and expands the compressed data to restore the data as before compressed. The restored data is transmitted to the printing processing section through the image memory 402 and the bus switching section 401.
However, a conventional digital image outputting device including the above-described memory unit has had following problems. That is, such a digital image outputting device needs image memory 402 other than code processing section 403, whereby image outputting processing necessitates considerably large capacity of memory in total. In addition, as for case of a multiple function device composed of copier, facsimile, printer, and the like, overflow of memory sometimes occurs and productivity of image outputting processing becomes considerably worse.